Orla secures funding to speed tuberculosis fight

Sep 29 2010 by Aranda Rahbarkouhi, The Journal

A DIAGNOSTICS company has landed more than £45,000 from the Technology Strategy Board to help speed up the detection and eradication of tuberculosis (TB) around the world.

Orla Protein Technologies, which is based at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle, received half of a £91,000 funding package, which will see it create the molecules and proteins needed to test equipment being developed by The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which received the remaining cash.

The project is aimed at reducing an alarming death toll, which sees more than 5,000 people die of TB each day, largely in the developed world.

Current methods of TB detection require large sample volumes and long preparation times, which has led to a demand for more sensitive and rapid testing.

The project will produce systems that dramatically improve current methods of detection, as well as help to improve the sensitivity, cost and speed of results.

The tests will focus on mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), which is a bacterial species and the main cause of almost all cases if tuberculosis. Dale Athey, chief executive at Orla, said: “The development of such procedures will help to substantially improve health systems in third world countries, particularly in HIV-infected TB cases.

“We hope the project will allow us to significantly improve consistency and enhanced sensitivity for cost-effective, easy to use point-of-care solutions for the detection and eradication of MTB.”

The project team will receive advice on microbiology from the Health Protection Agency, which will also arrange testing in a clinical environment.